Ireland’s resurgent construction industry expected to output as much as €15 billion in 2017 as business and government commit to new projects;

112,000 construction vacancies to be filled b 2020

Hays Ireland MD: “We hope construction professionals returning to Ireland for Christmas see the new opportunities here and come home for good.”

Irish construction workers living abroad are being enticed home for good as part of a new ‘Return to Ireland’ series of online seminars hosted by recruitment specialists, Hays Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

The Irish construction industry has experienced a major resurgence in the last 24 months and skilled professionals, including the likes of engineers, surveyors, architects and site and project managers, are in huge demand. Output is expected to surpass €15 billion in 2017, led by increased demand for commercial property in Dublin and the government’s planned expenditure on housing and other vital infrastructure, like water.

According to the recent CIF ‘Demand for Skills in Construction’ Report published in October, the industry will have to fill approximately 112,000 vacancies between now and 2020 to meet this construction demand. The ‘Return to Ireland’ series, geared towards Irish nationals working in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and the UAE, will take place on 19-20 December and provide insight into the state of the Irish construction industry, the prospects and opportunities, and the jobs on offer. As part of the online seminar, construction professionals and their family members will be able to pose their questions to construction and recruitment experts in order to gain a clearer understanding of the practical next steps involved in returning to Ireland.

Richard Eardley, Managing Director of Hays Ireland, said: “Ireland’s construction industry was decimated virtually overnight in 2008. More than a hundred thousand construction workers lost their jobs and many of these people emigrated to find work.

“Thankfully the Irish economy is now in a very different place and both business and government are eager to begin construction projects postponed indefinitely during the recession. This means skilled construction professionals are once again in heavy demand and many employers are looking abroad to fill talent gaps.

“Having spoken to many overseas professionals, we felt many of these individuals were somewhat disconnected from the buoyancy of the Irish market and the opportunities available to them. “As part of our ‘Return to Ireland’ online careers series, we’re reaching out to engineers, architects, surveyors and other professionals to demonstrate the excellent job prospects and competitive salaries on offer by Irish companies. We hope that those returning to Ireland for Christmas will see the opportunities here and make the decision to come home for good.”

According to the Tom Parlon, Director General of the Construction Industry Federation: “The construction industry is now in full recovery mode with activity up in all urban centres and increasing more modestly across the regions. We have been increasing employee numbers by 1,000 every month for the last 39 months. Housebuilding, infrastructure, renovation and specialist building is on the increase so we need people with construction skills to drive Ireland’s economy forward and to develop Ireland for its growing population. We’re hoping to get the message to those in the Diaspora and indeed those at home that the industry can provide excellent career opportunities again so and that there is a strong pipeline of work over the next three year horizon.”

For more information on the Return to Ireland online careers series, visit Hays.ie/return-to-Ireland.